Small Dress Series

These small dresses are part of a series; I love fashion (maybe I’m a frustrated designer?) and was inspired to put my artistic spin on historical dresses. This Explorer Dress (right and below) was inspired by the dresses Victorian women wore for adventures such as long carriage rides or sea voyages. Today we think about what clothing will be most practical and comfortable while in transit, and women in the 1800s did the same—except, of course, their clothing consisted of several layers and long skirts and sometimes restrictive garments. The piece is made from an original pattern using vintage atlas maps and reference pages and incorporates hand and machine stitching.

Explorer Dress

Girdle Book Dress

The Girdle Book Dress references several parts that make up a book. The skirt is made from antique book text pages and the bodice from decorative endpapers. The bodice is trimmed at the neck with pieces of headbands (that little piece of trim at the top and bottom of the spine) from an old book, and the belt is mull (stiff woven mesh used in binding books) from another vintage book. I created a miniature girdle book and covered it in bright blue suede. Girdle books were small books, (often prayer or religious books), that were tied to a belt and often worn while traveling. The cover material extends and becomes the tie, making them portable.

Explorer Dress, front view

Explorer Dress, back view